PITTSBURGH, PA – SEPTEMBER 01: Ian Happ #8 of the Chicago Cubs rounds second after hitting a home run in the first inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on September 1, 2020 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
Ian Happ was forced to leave Thursday’s game.
The Chicago Cubs were in action Thursday afternoon against the Pittsburgh Pirates in what ended up being a disappointing loss. Still, the Cubs have been cruising through the season and a lot of the success on offense can be traced back to Ian Happ.
The outfielder leads the team in most offensive categories and his 10 home runs are tied with Kyle Schwarber for the most on the team. Happ was batting leadoff Thursday and got one hit before a scary situation unfolded.
Ian Happ leaves the game, but will be okay
Happ fouled off a pitch that bounced up and hit him right in the eye. He immediately grabbed his face and bent over in pain and was taken out of the game.
This was a terrible sight and there was instant concern that Happ suffered a serious injury. But good news emerged as the game went on.
An eye contusion still sounds incredibly painful. The good news here is that he did not break any bones in his face and should be on a day-to-day status depending on how he feels.
Losing Happ for any amount of time would be a huge blow to the Cubs lineup. He is the top man on offense this season and is the only player with an OPS over 1.000. He is both getting on base and hitting for power and is on pace to set a new personal best in terms of WAR. His previous high is 1.6 and he is already at 1.5 so far this season.
The initial fear was a false alarm and now the question becomes whether Happ feels well enough to be back out there Friday.